Introducing SCRIBO - Scrittura Bolognese Fountain Pens

by Tom oddoDecember 26, 2018

SCRIBO is short for Scrittura Bolognese, a young pen manufacturing company based in Bologna, Italy. The brand may have only started in 2016, but it has an old soul. In this video, we look at their first fountain pen collection, the "Feel."

SCRIBO may be a "new" brand, but this isn't their first rodeo. Do you recall the demise of OMAS a year after celebrating their 90th anniversary? The day that OMAS shuttered their doors, Luca Baglione, the former head of sales and marketing for the company, sought to keep the spirit of writing alive. Along with other former OMAS employees, he founded SCRIBO on the principles of crafting a luxury piston-filling fountain pen with an ebonite feeder and gold nib of sublime quality. In 2017, SCRIBO invested themselves heavily into their main focus, buying the original tooling and rights to produce the once-cherished OMAS 18kt gold and 14kt gold flexible nib.

Starting the company from scratch meant that Luca would have to build a new reputation and a stable base of finances in order to develop new collections of writing instruments. Much like OPUS 88, SCRIBO spent the last year or so keeping busy producing private label pens for other brands. The "Feel" collection is their first original pen design under the SCRIBO brand. It firmly adheres to the company's objective, providing OMAS fans with plenty of reasons to be excited about this pen.

Unwrapping the SCRIBO, the senses are treated to a delight of sight, smell, and touch. A cotton and leather handmade pen wrap welcome you with the alluring fragrance of new dress shoes. The Feel pen is neatly tucked into one of two pen slots. A side pocket contains a polishing cloth to keep your pen looking its best.

The body of the FEEL is turned by hand from a solid bar of acrylic resin and shaped into the style of a Doric column. At this time, the collection is available in a dark blue-black with rhodium-finished appointments or a light blue with ruthenium-finished appointments. A gentle, curving taper further enhances the profile of this faceted pen design. Removing the cap reveals a long, faceted section and the real protagonist of this writing instrument - the nib.

The historic OMAS nib is the keystone to the new story of the SCRIBO writing instrument. Using the same tooling and manufacturing methods once employed by the OMAS pen company, the FEEL is fitted with either an 18kt gold nib or a 14kt gold flexible nib and ebonite feeder. The design enhances the always ready, generous, soft and precise writing experience.

As someone who absolutely adores his OMAS Ogiva with the flex nib, I had to know: how does the SCRIBO "feel the flex" nib compare to the original OMAS extra flessibile nib? Let's take the FEEL for a test write.

Doing a side-by-side comparison with the extra-fine, 14kt flex nibs, I observe that the SCRIBO FEEL has nice line variation, an excellent flow that kept up admirably, and a quick snap-back. The OMAS Ogiva nib behaves in the same manner, providing the same line variation with the same gentle finger pressure without fear of railroading or ink starvation. If you'd like to see how this flex nib stacks up against other flex nib options, check out our Flex Nib Showdown video.

While you won't be able to post the cap on the SCRIBO FEEL, the large weighty body of the pen feels well balanced and comfortable to hold. The facets around the long section provide plenty of purchase for your fingers to delicately command the nib around the page.

For an all-around enjoyable writing experience, the SCRIBO FEEL is also offered in an 18kt gold nib that is wet, smooth with a hint of feedback, and can be persuaded to provide a hint of line variation, especially in the "stubbish" broad point you are watching here.

As an OMAS fan always looking for a nice modern flex nib, I'm excited to see that SCRIBO is taking up the torch where OMAS left off. The FEEL is an excellent fountain pen for those who are looking for a sublime writing experience.

Now, for the part that might have you clutching for your wallets - the SCRIBO Feel is a dearly-priced writing instrument. The level of detail in the craftsmanship and the investment in a superior writing experience bumps this fountain pen into the higher end luxury class of pens. Considering that OMAS pens usually occupy this price point, it's not totally unreasonable to see SCRIBO aspire to perch themselves in a higher tier. The FEEL fountain pen is priced at $760 USD retail in either the 18kt gold or 14kt gold flex nib options.

We hope that you will agree and FEEL the writing with a new SCRIBO pen. Let us know in the comments what you think about this new collection from Scrittura Bolognese.